Czech President Petr Pavel recently expressed concern that the government's defense budget fails to meet the obligations set forth by NATO. The current defense budget of 155 billion Czech crowns (approximately 6.3 billion euros) represents only 1.73% of the planned GDP for 2026, which falls short of NATO's requirement for member states to allocate at least 2% of their GDP for defense. This is a significant point of contention given the rising security threats in Europe and the expectations set by international agreements.

The previous Czech government had committed to increasing defense spending to 3% of GDP by 2030. However, the current Prime Minister Andrej Babiš' administration, which took office in December, has proposed amendments to the budget inherited from the prior government, indicating a stagnation in defense funding. This comes at a time when the United States, under President Donald Trump’s administration, has urged NATO members to raise their defense spending to 5% of GDP, a matter discussed at last year’s NATO summit in The Hague.

Despite his concerns, President Pavel signed off on the budget to prevent the need for temporary financial restrictions on government spending. Additionally, Babiš surprised Pavel by announcing that future NATO summits will involve discussions of increased contributions from Czechia, which could signal a shift in the country's defense policy now under increased scrutiny from both domestic and international audiences.